Mutated Fanged Boar[2]

Riley moved on instinct.

He threw himself into a roll, grabbing the bloodied girl beside him and dragging her along with him.

BOOM!

The mutated boar's massive hooves slammed into the earth where Riley had just been, cracking it like brittle glass.

A crater formed beneath the impact, dirt and dust flying in every direction.

The sheer force of it shook the nearby trees, and a sharp gust of wind followed the impact.

Riley landed hard, one arm shielding the girl's head.

His heart hammered in his chest, and his expression twisted in a frown.

"…Shit," he breathed, sweat trickling down his temple. 'If I reacted just a little slower…'

He didn't want to finish the thought, knowing just that one strike was deep enough to bury him and the girl alive.

At first, he had planned to abandon her.

He didn't know who she was, and dragging around a half-dead player in a boss fight was basically suicide.

However, he just couldn't bring himself to, especially when he could actually save her.

It was the same thing he always did even in his past life, but then, he lost almost everyone he ever tried to save.

The few he somehow managed to help ended with him being severly injured, or even on the brink of death.

When he thought about these things, a part of him felt like it might be better to just abandon the stranger.

But he pushed that thought away.

He had made the choice already, and now he had to deal with it.

The monster slowly turned toward him, its breath coming out in ragged, steaming huffs. Its crimson eyes gleamed with hate, and thick veins throbbed across its black-furred body.

Growl…

It snarled low in its throat, fury radiating off it in waves.

Riley stared at it flatly.

'Tch. How annoying.' He thought.

But he didn't rush it. Not yet.

He grabbed the girl tighter and kicked off the ground, dashing across the clearing to the opposite side. His body shimmered again, vanishing into the shadows.

[Stealth Activated]

[Agility Boosted by 50% for 15 seconds]

[Presence: Masked]

His steps were light, quiet, and barely noticeable. He weaved through the tall grass, dragging the girl behind him with practiced precision. Her injuries slowed him down, but he didn't let it show.

Nonetheless, he couldn't fight the monster like this, not while dragging the girl around.

'I need to drop her somewhere safe first.' He thought, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint.

Behind him, another roar tore through the air.

ROAAARR!!

The boar wasn't having it.

It crashed through the grass with terrifying speed, snorting and stomping like a maddened bull. It wasn't just angry—it was insulted. It thought Riley was running away.

'It's so fast…' Riley's eyes darted over his shoulder, watching in disbelief as the beast gained on him.

He jerked his body to the left just as the boar lunged.

WHOOSH!

Massive jaws opened behind him, snapping at the air.

Riley rolled again, tucking his shoulder and dragging the girl with him. They hit the ground hard, grass and dirt kicking up in their wake.

CRUNCH!

The beast bit into the earth instead.

Its fangs tore out a massive chunk of soil, lifting it like it weighed nothing. The ground groaned and cracked beneath its strength.

The red lines glowing along the boar's tusks pulsed violently, brighter now—like blood vessels filled with rage.

'This is not good.' Riley clicked his tongue in frustration. 'Damn it.'

With no other choice, he quickly let go of the strange girl.

She slumped to the ground, groaning softly, barely aware of her surroundings.

Riley rose to his feet and turned to face the monster, daggers drawn. His cloak shifted, and his body was fully revealed to the monster boss.

[Stealth Deactivated]

"Tch," he clicked his tongue again. The timer had run out.

'I'll just have to make it focus on me,' He thought. 'Keep it distracted until I find an opening.'

He raised one hand.

[Skill Activated: Spike Shot]

His palm tingled as brown energy surged through his arm, converging into a sharpened point.

"Eat this."

CRACK!

A long, jagged spike launched from his palm, tearing through the air like a bolt of lightning. It whistled toward the beast's head with deadly precision.

But the monster twisted at the last second.

SHUNK!

The spike slammed into its thick back instead, embedding halfway into the muscle.

—35!

A red notification appeared above its head.

Riley's eyes widened slightly.

'Only thirty-five?' His thoughts churned. That was a direct hit with a skill.

'Just how high is this thing's resistance?' He thought.

The boar barely flinched, almost like it wasn't even attacked.

Instead, it growled in irritation—thick black smoke puffing from its nostrils as it slowly turned to him, the brown spike still jutting out of its back like a toothpick.

The glowing red lines on its tusks burned even brighter now, pulsing in rhythm with its rising fury.

Its eyes locked on Riley.

And it charged at him again, going in for the kill.

Riley didn't hesitate.

The moment the beast lunged again, he activated his skill.

[Stealth Activated]

[Agility Boosted by 50% for 15 seconds]

[Presence: Masked]

His figure flickered, blurring into the surroundings once more. The air shimmered faintly where he once stood before vanishing altogether.

The boar's fangs clashed with empty space, its hooves tearing another deep crater on the surface of the ground.

Riley dashed sideways, his movement quick and silent, like a shadow gliding across the earth.

He didn't look back—he didn't need to. The enraged snorts and furious stomping behind him were more than enough to tell him the beast was following.

'Perfect,' he thought as he darted between trees, carefully circling back toward the clearing.

He glanced briefly over his shoulder.

The mutated boss was charging after him like a demon-possessed tank, its focus fixed entirely on him now. The girl had been completely forgotten.

A smirk played on Riley's lips.

'Good. Its focus is just on me now.'

This was exactly what he wanted.

Without needing to protect someone else, he could go all out.

His eyes sharpened, and with a sudden twist of his feet, he stopped, spun around, and stretched his hand out again.

[Skill Activated: Spike Shot]

A sharp, brown spike materialized in his palm, gleaming like polished obsidian. He didn't even hesitate—his fingers snapped forward.

SHOOM!

The spike fired out, hurtling toward the charging boar like a bullet.

At the same time, Riley kicked off the ground and sprinted directly toward the monster.

The wind whipped against his face as he ran, both daggers drawn now.

The boar didn't slow. If anything, it seemed to speed up.

It bellowed, steam pouring from its flared nostrils. Its red eyes glowed with unrelenting hatred.

It didn't care about the spike heading toward it. All it saw was Riley—its prey.

But then—

THUNK!

The spike stabbed into the beast's front leg, piercing through the thick muscle and wedging into the joint.

—39! Critical hit!

The red notification blinked above its head, and Riley's grin widened.

'Gotcha.'